carrel
car·rel/ˈkɛɹəl/noun
carrel is spelled C-A-R-R-E-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (car·rel). It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 89,388th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, carrel means “A partitioned space for reading or studying, often in a library” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of carrel is carrels.
How many letters and syllables are in carrel?
| Letters | 6: C-A-R-R-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: car·rel |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 89,388th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is carrel?
Carrel appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 89,388th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce carrel?
- UK /ˈkæɹəl/
- US /ˈkɛɹəl/
Carrel has 2 syllables, split car·rel in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-carrel.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-carrel.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with carrel
Sounds like: carol (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: carol.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with carrel?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as carrel from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹəl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of carrel
- carrels plural
- carrell
- carrol
- carell
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does carrel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteAlternative spelling of carol (“a small closet or enclosure built against the inner side of a window of a monastery's cloister, to sit in for study”).
- 2
A partitioned space for reading or studying, often in a library.
Near-synonym: cubicle (sometimes synonymous)
- 3
obsoleteA type of fabric used in the 16th and 17th centuries.
- 4
obsoleteSynonym of quarrel (“a square-headed arrow”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Carrel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense cubicle or partitioned space for reading or studying:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | carrel |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does carrel come from?
A variant of carol (“small closet or enclosure”), from Middle English carole (“round dance with singing; group of people dancing and singing in a circle; circular thing; braid, chain (?); stall for study or writing; writing table; etc.”) (possibly referring to the fact that the item encloses or surrounds the person using it): see further at carol.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).